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Folic Acid: Boost for your Brain?
| Type: | Science in the Spotlight |
| Date: | Spring 2007 |
Want to boost your memory and brain power? Eat more strawberries and asparagus. Both are good sources of folic acid, a vitamin that improved memory and cognition in healthy adults 50-70 years old, according to a study reported in the medical journal Lancet (Jan. 20, 2006).
The B12 Catch
What Does Folate/Folic Acid Do?
Folate helps the body form red blood cells and aids in the formation of genetic material (DNA) within every body cell.
Where Do I Get It?
Folate is found in whole grains, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, oranges, strawberries, liver, shellfish, peas, yeast, and sunflower seeds. In the U.S., cereals and flour products have high levels of folic acid, which has been added since 1998 to reduce the likelihood of nervous-system birth defects. The fortification program helped reduce the rate of spina bifida by 25% in six years.
How Much Folic Acid Do I Need?
The Food and Drug Administration recommended daily allowance (RDA) of folic acid for healthy adults is 400 micrograms. A cruise of your pantry shelves will quickly tell you how much your breakfast cereal is packing - anywhere from 25% to 100% of the RDA. Two slices of wheat bread contain about 10%. If you are eating a balanced diet, chances are you're getting more than the RDA.
Some medical conditions can increase the need for folate. Some medical conditions such as alcohol abuse, kidney dialysis, liver disease, and certain anemias can cause a folate deficiency. Medications may also interfere with the body's use of folate, such as some anti-convulsant drugs. A list of such drugs can be found at the National Institutes of Health.
Too Much of a Good Thing: The B12 Catch
You probably already have enough folate in your diet, thanks to the fortification program. Most U.S. diets now provide the RDA, according to a study in the January 2007 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has set 1000 micrograms as the upper limit of folic acid to be ingested daily from fortified foods or supplements. The upper limit refers to the intake from fortified foods or pills; there is no health risk for natural sources of folate, such as vegetables.
Ingesting more than 1000 micrograms can have serious health consequences. Excessive folic acid may mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can result in anemia and cognitive impairment, particularly in seniors.
If you are 50 years of age or older, ask your physician to check your B12 status before you take a supplement that contains folic acid. If you are taking a supplement containing folic acid, make sure it also contains B12 or speak with a physician about the need for a B12 supplement.
Want to boost your memory and brain power? Eat more strawberries and asparagus. Both are good sources of folic acid, a vitamin that improved memory and cognition in healthy adults 50-70 years old, according to a study reported in the medical journal Lancet (Jan. 20, 2006).
Folic acid, called "folate" in its natural form in food, gets its name from the Latin word "folium" for leaf. It's a water-soluble B vitamin best known in the U.S. for preventing birth defects.
Researchers in Holland - a country where folic acid is not routinely added to foodstuffs, as it is in the U.S.- took a group of 818 adults, ages 50 to 70, all of whom had low folate levels and elevated homocysteine levels. Each was randomly assigned 800 micrograms of folic acid or a placebo. After three years, those who had received the folic acid supplement had improved cognitive functioning, particularly in the areas of memory and information processing speed.
On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, according to study leader Jane Durga, now at the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid group performed as well as people 1.9 years younger. Durga concluded, "Folic acid improves performance in tests that measure information processing speed and memory - domains known to decline with age."
Folic Acid and Homocysteine
A number of studies in recent years have been exploring folic acid's ability to fight diseases of aging such as cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's. Many investigations are focused on folic acid's effect on levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that occurs naturally in the blood.
Elevated homocysteine levels have been shown to be a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. High levels of homocysteine appear to impair blood flow through vessels, damage coronary arteries, and encourage clot formation, which can lead to a heart attack. Adding folic acid to the diet appears to be a safe way of reducing higher levels of homocysteine.
What We Still Don't Know
As tempting as it might be to run out and buy a bottle of folic acid to protect one's brain and heart health, an important cautionary note: too much folate can be unhealthy for some people. For more information about the risks, read "The B12 Catch".
More research is required as well. Yes, you can safely lower homocysteine levels with folic acid. But we still don't know if there is a cause-and-effect relationship between homocysteine and cardiovascular disease, or simply an association.
One thing is certain: with a rapidly expanding older population, such clinical trials are to be encouraged. So in the meantime it can't hurt to eat your spinach. Or fortified cereal. With strawberries, of course.
Related Resources:
- For more information on folate:
- For a list of the folate content of foods: